Facing the Night 20 of 52
by Echowarrior
Summary: A new enemy has viciously attacked the Autobots, taking down one of their own. Now Optimus Prime will face this foe, while Starscream begins to uncover a terrible threat.


Facing the Night

A Transformers: Armada Story

By William Rendfeld

"Damage is extensive," Red Alert reported. "Blurr's right arm has been severed completely; servo-motors are damaged, and connecting joints are almost scrapped. How did this happen?"

"That thing, whatever it was, sliced it clean off at the shoulder with some sort of energy blade," Makeshift reported from beside the medic. "You think you can help him?"

"I feel better off with the three of you here than without you," Red Alert reported. "Firebot, Prowl, prep for servo replacement. Makeshift, Longarm, keep an eye on his vitals. I've dealt with worse than this, I'll be damned if I can't save him."

As Red Alert and the gathered Mini-Cons went to work within the isolation unit, tension began to mount. He'd worked miracles before; the question was, could he do it again?

* * *

"Start from the beginning," Optimus Prime said, seated within the _Ark_'s conference room.

Hot Shot calmed himself, then began, "We'd made it into the outskirts of Boston. I sent Crosswise and Jolt ahead to scout around, maybe find the pod. It wasn't long afterwards that we picked up on the signal from Anti-Blaze and the others. We directed them to a park, set up a camouflage shield around it, and waited for them to arrive. I thought we'd ambush the pursuer, either discourage him or delay him long enough for Crosswise to meet up with us. Optimus, I didn't..."

"No need to apologize, kid," Jetfire said with assurance. "You didn't know what you were up against, did the best you could. Me, I'm a little more concerned about something that can handle that much heavy weapons fire and make it out with barely a scratch."

"So am I," Optimus noted. "Can you describe it? Did you pick up an energy signature?"

"It looked like you," Hot Shot answered. "Well, you dipped in black paint. And I did get an energy signature, but it wasn't a Decepticon one. It was closer to Sideways than anything."

Optimus slid a small data pad over to Hot Shot and asked, "Anything like this?"

Hot Shot picked up the pad and examined it, then said, "No. It's similar to it, but it's not an exact match. Why?"

"We just found out that whatever had that signature may have played a part in the _Exodus_ crashing here on Earth," Jetfire replied. "The fact that it's got a similar signature to that Sideways thing you fought doesn't help things any."

"Sideways?" Hot Shot asked. "That explains why we had a hard time damaging him. What are we going to do?"

"I've sent word to Scavenger," Optimus explained. "They're to keep working for the time being. We've no reason to think this 'Nemesis Prime' knows anything about the base under construction in Colorado. All the same, until we know more about this thing, the recall teams are to remain here at the _Ark_ until further notice."

"And when we do know more?" Hot Shot asked.

Optimus remained silent, then said, "You're dismissed, Hot Shot."

Surprised by Optimus's statement, but not willing to argue, Hot Shot quietly left. Jetfire turned to Optimus and asked, "He raised a good point; what are we gonna do?"

"For a while now, I've been blaming myself for what's happened here on Earth, the chaos and destruction brought on by the Decepticons and our attempts at retrieving the Mini-Cons," Optimus answered. "We've been lucky this hasn't deteriorated further, that there haven't been more human casualties than there already have been. But whatever this thing is, it's clearly out to cause as much chaos as possible, regardless of whoever gets in its way. I've asked Colonel Franklin for satellite tracking on this thing, to see if we can find it. If it wants a fight, I'll give it one."

* * *

"Megatron's efforts have led us to nothing," Shockblast said to the gathered Decepticons around him. "Look at us. We are outcasts, forced to hide in the shadows and operate outside society. This must end."

"How exactly?" Hardtop asked. "Last I checked, the Autobots were never too fond of us. When you have the Wreckers trailing after you, you aren't exactly low on the list of priorities."

"Our past crimes aside, there is one way to provide us a chance at survival," Shockblast stated. "We surrender to them."

A murmured outcry came from the gathered Decepticons, leading one in the back to say, "Give ourselves up to the Autobots? That'd just save the Wreckers or King Atlas a little trouble in chasing us down."

"Optimus Prime, nor anyone in his direct command circle, would allow for harm to come to prisoners," Shockblast said firmly. "And no Autobot would dare contradict him when he's given an order. We're guaranteed fair treatment, perhaps even lightened sentences for our actions. Not even you could argue with that, Wind Sheer."

The small, winged Decepticon shrugged, then said, "Just saying, we're running a risk with something like that."

"Think of what we've given up because of all this," Oil Slick said from beside Shockblast. "We have a chance at getting it back. We have siblings, cousins, close friends we haven't seen in ages in fear of capture or attack. How can you all pass this up?"

Assorted murmurs came from within the Decepticon ranks, and the group dispersed, leaving Shockblast alone with his few supporters. A clawed hand found itself on his shoulder, and a voice said, "They'll come around, brother."

"I am not as certain, Sixshot," Shockblast replied. "Perhaps given time, some of them may come around, but they have lived too long in fear of both Megatron and the Autobots to change their viewpoints so quickly."

"At least we got 'em thinking about it, right?" another Decepticon with yellow and purple armor said encouragingly.

"Perhaps, Rapid Run," Shockblast said, his voice neutral. "Perhaps..."

* * *

"You can't be serious!" Jetfire almost screamed. "Going after that thing? Are you nuts?"

"It has to be stopped, Jetfire," Optimus said firmly. "I for one am not going to let it continue to rampage about. Blurr's already been damaged by it, and I'm not going to risk any other Autobots getting attacked. We have too much at stake at this point; nearly all the Mini-Con pods have been found and located, and what's stopping this thing from attacking Starscream or any Decepticons that have sided with him?"

Jetfire looked at him for a couple minutes, then decided, "Fine. But you aren't going after that thing alone. I'm going with you."

"Jetfire," Optimus began.

"If that thing's anything like Sideways, you're going to need all the help you can get," Jetfire said, his tone implying that he wouldn't have it any other way. "And I doubt that oversized Super Mode's going to be a big help. I say we throw something at it that it hasn't seen before."

Beneath his faceplate, Prime smiled despite himself. "You're probably right. Get your weapons fully charged and your systems tuned, Jetfire. We've got unfinished business to attend to."

With those words, Optimus Prime rose to his feet and exited the conference room, leaving Jetfire to activate his comm.-line; they weren't going in alone.

* * *

"Do you think they're okay?" Stella Holley asked.

The young woman, along with Diana Masters, sat upon her front porch, looking up into the early evening sky. It had been little less than an hour since her friends, the Mini-Con Super Stunt and Sonic Assault Teams, had departed with Jetfire's retrieval unit, and despite herself, she couldn't help but feel worried.

"Of course they're okay," Diana assured her. "The Autobots are the good guys, remember? They'll look after them."

"Still...I feel like I just..." Stella began, trying to find the right words.

"Left them hanging?" Diana asked. "I know how that feels."

Stella turned to her and asked, "Why aren't you a schoolteacher anymore?"

"I had a class field trip down in Indianapolis, the weekend that 'terrorist attack' happened," Diana explained. "It was my idea, my proposal. It was also a good chunk of the budget. When it happened, the school system feared that parents would protest their kids being put in harm's way, no matter how unintentionally. So they tried to shift the blame on me. And I quit. Stayed in town until the rent went out on my apartment, then came up here."

"You don't sound too bitter about it," Stella noted.

"The pay wasn't worth the irritation," Diana elaborated. "It was barely worth the headaches. I'm probably better off now."

Stella couldn't help but chuckle. "So, who else knows about all this?"

"Three kids in Portland, a few high-placed individuals in the military and the government," Diana recounted. "Maybe my cat, but I doubt she's gonna tell anyone."

"So does this mean I have to sign some sort of non-disclosure agreement?" Stella asked. "Or are a couple guys in black going to show up and erase my memories?"

"Probably the first one, if it ever comes to that," Diana assured her. "Besides, I think the general atmosphere is that eventually, their presence will become public knowledge. It won't matter who knows about them; everyone will. It'll take time for them to be trusted, to be seen with anything other than confusion, perhaps fear, but they'll be out there. For now, they'll keep hidden, and hopefully reveal themselves in as good a light as possible."

"I hope so," Stella agreed.

* * *

Elsewhere, on the outskirts of the Cybertronian city Kalis, a yellow and black motorcycle raced through the night, trying its best to keep out of sight. Arriving at its destination, the motorcycle transformed, and Rapid Run cautiously looked about, his optic bar expressing concern.

"You look nervous," a familiar voice came as the Decepticon turned to look into the shadows. Its source stepped out to greet him, and said, "Something must be up."

"You don't know the half of it," Rapid Run said, relief beginning to appear on his face.

Before him stood two Autobots; one male, with red and black armor, and one female colored predominantly black, gold, silver and blue.

"Shockblast is trying to start a mass revolt among Megatron's group," Rapid Run explained. "He's already got Sixshot and Oil Slick with him, and he's actively recruiting among the other Decepticons."

"Why the revolt?" the female Autobot asked. "Is he trying to take power for himself in Megatron's absence?"

"No, nothing like that," Rapid Run said. "He's more interested in making certain he lives to see the next solar cycle. He wants them to give themselves up to you guys, save themselves a headache and some trouble. Better time in prison, maybe a little amnesty from Optimus Prime, than always running from you and being afraid of Megatron."

"Hardly a bad bit of logic," the male Autobot noted. "Prime doesn't believe in executing people who willingly turn themselves in. Surprises me that he hasn't tried it sooner."

"Well, Megatron's not exactly an immediate threat, is he?" Rapid Run asked.

"Has anyone come forward to join him besides them and you?" the female Autobot asked.

"Not yet," Rapid Run quickly said.

"Keep us posted," the red Autobot asked. "It'll make our jobs a little easier at least."

"And make me feel a little safer at night," Rapid Run said, transforming before speeding off into the night.

The red Autobot looked at his comrade and said, "Something's on your mind, Roulette. I can tell."

"Just thinking about my sister, is all," Roulette explained.

"Hey, she chose to side with him," the red Autobot said firmly. "You had no part in it."

"I still feel like I should've been there for her, Swerve," Roulette said. "If I could only see her again, know she's safe."

"With any luck, she'll have the sense to side with Shockblast," Swerve noted. "Otherwise, you know your job. You shouldn't forget it."

Swerve transformed to vehicle mode and sped off, leaving Roulette alone with her thoughts for a few seconds before doing likewise and following him into the night.

* * *

"So they came after us," Checkpoint stated. "Sounds like Megatron didn't just forget."

"Did you honestly expect him to?" Sparkplug asked.

The members of the Mini-Con SWAT Team, Anti-Blaze, Scythe and the aforementioned Checkpoint, stood within the Mini-Con wing of the _Ark_, hearing more of the details concerning the conflict so far from Sparkplug.

"All this for nothing," Anti-Blaze said, grief echoed in his voice. "When I campaigned for our exodus from Cybertron, I never imagined any of this. That we'd be stranded on this world, that we'd put innocent lives in danger...I hoped that if we simply disappeared, the problem we created would as well."

"In case you haven't forgotten boss, we didn't create the problem," Scythe argued. "That megalomaniacal nutcase came after us. We're a means to an end for him; use us for power boosts, form an unstoppable army, rule Cybertron and ultimately the galaxy. Even with us out of the equation, he wouldn't quit thirsting for power."

"He's right, Anti-Blaze," Sparkplug noted. "Megatron has to be stopped before anyone else is hurt. He won't stop until he's gotten what he wants, and what he wants is power over everything, nothing less."

Anti-Blaze gave him a downcast look and said, "We aren't warriors, Sparkplug."

"It doesn't mean we shouldn't fight back," Sparkplug replied. "In the last century here on Earth there have been hundreds of conflicts; large ones, small ones, ones that changed the planet as the humans knew it. The last big one ended sixty years ago, but after terrible loss of life. As many as twenty two million non-combatants were killed by one of the major aggressors of the war, simply because it was convenient for them. War is a terrible business, but I'd rather fight than see something like that happen, especially because of us."

Anti-Blaze looked upon him and asked, "Twenty-two million?"

"In one continent," Sparkplug elaborated.

Anti-Blaze turned away, then said, "Primus help me but you raise a valid point. If we can prevent bloodshed like that..." He turned to Sparkplug and said, "I must be crazy...but you have my support."

"Thank you," Sparkplug said gratefully. "Now if the three of you will excuse me, I have a friend who needs a little help with something."

* * *

"Energon tanks full, reserve tanks being refilled as we speak," Starscream noted approvingly as he glanced over the screens within the command center of the _Nemesis_. "And the drain appears to have stopped."

"We still don't know what caused it, however," Mudflap was quick to note. "And I can't help but be worried about that."

"Neither can I," Starscream noted. "There has to be some reason for it..."

A hunch forming in his mind, Starscream quickly brought up several screens displaying computer records. Various bits of data, tallies of information and numbers, came online and scrolled up the screen.

"Energy recharge records?" Mudflap asked.

"The easiest way to get Energon out of the tanks without arousing suspicion would be to recharge yourself," Starscream explained.

"But the energy drain seems far too large for just three Mini-Cons," Mudflap reasoned.

"Just three, yes, even if they're siphoning the energy off into another tank system," Starscream explained. "But what if they have help? Remember, two stasis units that the Autobots retrieved only had half their full compliment; the Destruction team may have gotten to them first."

"That doesn't explain how they were able to get down to Earth and back," Mudflap said.

Starscream quickly loaded some information into a data pad, then said, "Then let's see if anything's missing."

* * *

"And that's the last one," Red Alert said with relief as the last port was put in place, reconnecting Blurr's severed right arm to his body. "He'll be back online in an hour or so, hopefully better than ever. Well done, team."

"Was there any doubt?" Prowl asked from a medical console. "Between the five of us, we can work miracles."

"I see time hasn't dulled your self-assurance," Longarm noted, appreciation in his voice.

"You kidding?" Prowl replied. "I'm still the best at what I do, and nothing's going to change that."

"Gentle-bots, let's tone that down a bit, shall we?" Firebot asked. "Let the kid get his rest."

With a light smirk and a shake of his head, Red Alert led the four Mini-Cons out of the isolation room. He turned to Hot Shot, who'd been keeping vigil since the end of his debriefing, and said, "You can go in, but don't expect him to talk much," then exited the medical bay.

Hot Shot silently walked into the isolation room, and cast his gaze towards Blurr, resting a hand on the medical table. The prone robot's optics slowly came alight, and Hot Shot said, "Had a feeling you'd wake up."

"Why are you here?" Blurr asked, his voice low.

"Making sure you were alright," Hot Shot answered.

Purposely looking away from Hot Shot, Blurr answered, "I failed. What does that tell you?"

Hot Shot looked at him in disbelief, and asked, "You failed? I was calling the shots back there, got you stuck in here. I hardly see how this is a failure on your part."

Blurr remained silent.

After a few seconds, Hot Shot shrugged and said, "If you don't want to let it out, that's fine..."

"We're part of a team," Blurr said. "We back one another up. I failed to do that, back in Iceland and today."

"You still feel bad about that?" Hot Shot asked. "Blurr, I'm fine. Red patched me up good as new, maybe better. Besides, you didn't know."

"I still could've done something," Blurr insisted. "We've been students under Scavenger for years, trained together. We're supposed to back one another up. I've failed to do that twice now."

Hot Shot looked at him, then silently said, "You can't be everywhere at once. You can't do everything, and you can't beat everyone. Not by yourself, anyway. That's why we're a team."

Blurr looked at him and said, "You're starting to sound a little too much like Optimus."

"Maybe," Hot Shot said. "That a bad thing?"

The two chuckled for a couple minutes, then Hot Shot quietly said, "Still...we did all we could out there. And we made it back alive, with the Emergency and SWAT teams safe. We did what we set out to do, and we came back. I call that a victory."

"You and your optimism," Blurr said. "Why I got stuck with you, I have no idea."

"Just lucky I guess," Hot Shot said.

Despite himself, Blurr laughed. "Thanks," he said.

"Any time," Hot Shot replied.

* * *

As he walked towards the _Ark_'s landing ramp, Optimus Prime checked over his gun's energy charge, making certain that it was full. Satisfied, he stored his weapon, then rounded the final corner to find Jetfire waiting for him.

"Ready?" Optimus asked of his second in command.

"Almost," Jetfire noted. "You and I both know this thing's dangerous. We know the risks. We know this could be a battle we don't come back from."

"I'm fully aware of that," Optimus said sternly.

"Good," Jetfire replied. "In that case, you won't mind a little help."

With those words, the door to the landing ramp opened, and Optimus saw a small gathering at the bottom; Crosswise, Overhaul, Sparkplug, Over-Run, Comettor, the Air Defense and Race Teams were all gathered waiting for them.

"Jetfire..." Optimus began to object.

"Like I said, that thing's dangerous," Jetfire stated. "I knew you wouldn't ignore it. I also knew that you'd have a hard time taking it by yourself, Matrix or no Matrix. I also knew that I wouldn't let you go at it alone, and neither would they. Like it or not, Prime, you're stuck with 'em."

Optimus looked to Jetfire for a hard second, then said, "You know me too well." He turned away then walked down the ramp with Jetfire following. "Autobots, Mini-Cons, we all know what's at stake here. We have a rampaging Transformer with a possible connection to Unicron that's posed a threat not only to us, but the people of this world. If any of you wish to pull out, now's the time."

Crosswise charged his gun, and simply said, "I can't call myself a 'monster hunter' if I let one get away."

"This thing sounds like he'll put up a damn good fight," Overhaul said. He slammed a hand into his palm, and said, "And I'm always up for a good fight."

"Like it or not, Optimus, you're stuck with us," Sparkplug said firmly. "Now how about we get this started?"

"Agreed," Optimus declared. He shifted into his vehicle form and declared, "Autobots, roll out!"

* * *

"Shadow Stalker?"

"Hmm?" the female Transformer asked. "Oh, sorry Barricade. I'm just...lost in thought is all."

The two Decepticons stood within a small monitor room within their compound, keeping an eye on security footage.

"Did Shockblast's little rally get you nervous?" Barricade asked.

"No, not that," Shadow Stalker replied. "Tell me...do you have any siblings left?"

"Unfortunately, no," Barricade replied. "The only family I really have anymore are the members of my unit. Why?"

"I used to have two siblings," Shadow Stalker explained. "Sisters. One of them is gone now, long destroyed in one of the wars. The other is with the Autobots."

"Roulette, you mean," Barricade noted. As the femmebot looked at him, the Decepticon explained, "Family resemblance, Shadow Stalker. It's a hard thing to get rid of." He turned to her and asked, "My question is, what is the sibling of a member of the Wreckers doing in this bunch?"

Shadow Stalker sighed, then leaned against a wall and said, "It was during the Outsider Wars. My sisters and I were in the city of Nova Cronum when it was attacked. My third sister, Silhouette, was among the casualties. When the attack came, when those ships tore through the city...it was terrifying. I never wanted to be that afraid again." She looked to him and said, "That's why I joined up. When I heard Megatron speak...when he promised that through him Cybertron would be safe...I couldn't help but side with him."

"And in the process becoming an outcast," Barricade noted. "Hardly a wise decision."

"I was young," Shadow Stalker noted. "Youth and stupidity tend to go hand-in-hand. I thought at the time that safeguarding our homeworld was the most important duty...but here I am, part of an even bigger threat, and within inches of being taken out by my own sister. I'm not even sure how I've survived so long." She turned away and asked, "What should I do?"

"I'm hardly the one you should ask," Barricade told her. "You need to look to yourself for answers, not to others."

Crestfallen, Shadow Stalker walked out of the room, leaving the door to slide shut behind her. Barricade, meanwhile, activated his comm.-line and said, "Combaticons, prepare to assemble."

* * *

Every world has its places of mystery. Some are created by natural processes; canyons and caves are formed by erosion over the course of hundreds of years, but are always places where the unknown is rampant. Other places are artificial, created by people through purposeful action or through a need for secrecy.

Many examples of the latter exist on Earth. One such place is more famous than most; it is known as Area 51.

"I've heard some of the things they say about this place," Overhaul noted as the small Autobot convoy drove towards the facility, rain pouring down over them. "A lot of humans think this place stores spacecraft from worlds other than Earth, that what they can find is salvaged, reverse-engineered. They also say that actual beings from other worlds live here, that development of advanced weapons is in progress at this facility."

"They aren't too far from the truth, are they?" Crosswise jokingly asked.

"What claims have been made here about Area 51 in the past aren't within our ability to validate," Optimus sternly said. "However, not long after our treaty was signed with the United States government, I authorized the transfer of specific computer information to specific personnel for development. Rollout went along to supervise the data's usage. Since then, they've managed to construct something which we think will help to turn the tide in this conflict. It's been stored here for testing."

"Whatever you say," Overhaul noted. "This place still gives me the creeps, though."

Gates rolled aside, allowing the small group to enter the facility and roll into a large aircraft hanger. Waiting within, the large form of the Mini-Con Rollout at his side, was Colonel Franklin. "Gentlemen, welcome. I'm glad you were able to make it."

Sparkplug disconnected from Optimus Prime as Over-Run and the Air Defense Team did likewise from his trailer, allowing Prime to transform to robot mode. Crosswise and Overhaul did likewise. "We've got a dangerous situation on our hands, Colonel. Coming seemed like our best option. Jetfire's keeping to the air around the base just in case we hear anything. Now, about our little project."

"Right here, Optimus," Rollout reported, pressing a small remote control.

A corner of the hangar's floor split, then slid away as a platform rose into position. Resting atop it was a large carrier truck, colored orange and brown, with large cannon emplacements mounted across its frame.

"Fancy toy," Jetstorm noted. "What is it?"

"A modified version of one of the old Mini-Con combat frames," Rollout explained. "We had to alter it a little, use different armor materials, but the interlink ports, power unit, transformation capability and weapons systems are all online. We've even packed in something extra."

"Well, sounds like we've got one more hand with us," Crosswise noted. "So, does this overloaded weapons platform work?"

"We've tested it, but not under combat conditions," Franklin reported.

"Then it's time we gave it a proper shakedown," Optimus decided. The familiar chime of a comm.-line attracted his attention, and he quickly said, "Jetfire, report."

"I got good news and bad news," Jetfire reported. "Good news is, I found our new playmate. Bad news is, he's heading our way at top speed."

"This base doesn't have the defensive compliment necessary to hold back a unit of tanks, let alone something with that level of firepower," Franklin noted.

"Then we'll handle it," Optimus reported. "Jetfire, keep surveillance on that thing. Crosswise, Overhaul, with me. It's time to roll out the welcome wagon for this thing."

* * *

"Better hurry up with that welcome," Jetfire said, dodging blaster fire from below. "Because this guy's really eager to say hi!"

Several thousand feet below Jetfire, the massive black semi that had heavily damaged Blurr rumbled below, a cannon mounted on its truck bed lancing off bursts of fire against the large airborne Autobot. Jetfire had avoided being hit thus far, but he'd had some very close calls.

Finally deciding that enough was enough, Jetfire went into a dive and surged downwards, transforming to robot mode and flipping over as he did so, using the jet boosters in his feet to slow his descent and allow him a more peaceful landing. The four Mini-Cons connected to him, Comettor and the Race Team, swiftly disconnected, and Comettor assumed a place on Jetfire's cannon seconds before he opened fire.

The massive black semi retaliated by transforming to robot mode and peppering Jetfire with machinegun fire from its smokestack guns. Jetfire deflected the attack with his shield, but still had to brace himself.

"Foolish," the enemy unit said. "Barely worthy of my time."

"Then try a taste of this!" Overhaul cried, swerving around Jetfire and using a large rock to get airborne, then transforming to robot mode and slamming down upon the ebon monstrosity. He was knocked away with one throw, and skidded to a halt nearby.

With a savage growl, Overhaul yelled out, a white aura formed around his body. It shot skyward, then lanced back to him, pouring into a slot in his back. "Cyber Key, LOCK!" he cried, a silver and white light bursting forth from his frame, seconds before a massive anchor-like burst of energy emerged from his chest, barreling towards the ebon entity. The blast struck, and knocked the creature to the ground, severely damaged.

"So that was a Cyber Key ability," Jetfire said with appreciation. "I gotta get me one of those."

"Eh, you've got enough firepower," Overhaul noted.

The two quickly returned their attention to their quarry as it rose from the ground, its armor regenerating itself fairly quickly.

"It seems you've begun to make use of your race's older abilities," the entity noted, its toothy mouth slowly being covered by a faceplate. "That won't be enough."

"Well, we've got a bad habit of being really flexible," Crosswise noted as he darted between his two fellow Autobots, then transformed to robot mode. "And one good twist deserves another."

An aura of blue energy formed around Crosswise's body, then, much as with Overhaul, it shot into the air before lancing back towards its sender, sliding into a slot into Crosswise's back and flashing blue and silver before fading. Twin missile batteries came into position, and salvos were launched against their target, further damaging its armor. Crosswise then blasted it with his cannon, striking while the iron was hot. Jetfire contributed to the fire, pounding their foe with fire.

It appeared to be working…until the beast blasted forth a dark energy from its chest, blasting the three to the ground and knocking away their weapons. Beneath its chestplate, now shorn from its body, was a large purple-pink gem in a golden, hexagonal frame, evoking the Matrix in both looks and abilities.

With a malevolent chuckle, their foe said, "You fools. Shattering my armor has only unleashed my most terrible weapon. You have no defense against its power. Now, prepare to be forever destroyed!"

Purple-colored streams of energy lanced forth from the gem, wildly zipping towards their targets...only to be stopped by a trio of blue shields.

"You want them?" a familiar voice cried out.

The entity looked towards the voice's source, and narrowed its eyes; it had found its prey.

"You have to go through me," Optimus Prime said defiantly, the Star Saber in his right hand and his chestplate slowly closing.

The entity's armor reformed itself, and it chuckled. "At last you face me."

"I don't know who you are or where you come from," Optimus plainly said. "However, I won't have anyone, or anything, purposely put innocents in danger. Leave or be destroyed."

The entity laughed. "You have no concept of what you face. I am a dark reflection of what is within you, your deepest, darkest secrets. What I represent cannot be destroyed."

"But you can," Optimus said.

"Perhaps," the enemy said. Its optics took on a sinister red glow, then it declared, "but it won't be easy, now will it?"

With those words, it forged its own sword from dark purple energies and charged forward. Optimus caught his opposite's blade with the Star Saber, then called out, "A little help!"

"Coming!" Mirage cried from the sidelines, prompting his team to combine into the Skyboom Shield. They did so, and landed snugly in Optimus's left hand, allowing him one more bit of armor against his opponent.

"A set of Mini-Con weapons can do nothing to aid you, Prime," the entity said. "All you're doing is putting them in danger."

"They understand the risks, better than anyone," Optimus declared. "They aid us, and we aid them. That won't change anytime soon."

"Then I'll have to be a little more thorough," the creature said.

Before Optimus could realize his opponent's plans, the creature struck hard with a massive burst of energy, knocking Optimus away and blasting the two Core Weapons from his hands, forcing them to separate into their individual components.

"At last, it ends," the creature said.

Suddenly, it was peppered with heavy weapons fire, bullets pounding into its armor and distracting it. From one corner, unblocked by a fallen Autobot, came Rollout, hauling the massive combat frame behind him.

"It's only just started," Rollout declared. "Overload, Powerlink!"

With those words, the combat frame separated from the Autobot, then shifted and transformed into a humanoid form. Rollout reconnected, plugging into the frame's chest, and a large head with a black helm and a blue face popped in, its eyes glowing a brilliant neon green.

"It's time you got a taste of what we can do!" Overload called, his weapons coming online. Seconds later, a massive volley of missiles lanced forth, pounding into the creature and knocking it back quite a distance. He marched forward, and extended a hand to Optimus. "Need a leg up?"

"As a matter of fact, yes," Optimus replied, taking Overload's hand and slowly getting to his feet. "Perfect timing."

"Guess the combat frames still work wonders," Jetfire noted appreciatively, getting to his feet. "Lucky for all of us."

As the Autobots and Mini-Cons recollected themselves, the entity returned to his feet, then slowly rose into the air, still repairing itself. "An impressive display, but ultimately futile. I'll continue to rise again until you are weary, then I shall wipe each of you out once and for all."

"You don't give up easily, do you?" Optimus asked. "Unfortunately, neither do we. Crosswise, Overhaul, cover us! Jetfire, Overload, with me! Powerlinx!"

As Crosswise retrieved his gun and Overhaul returned to his feet, the three larger Autobots underwent a series of transformations. Jetfire tossed his shield and gun to Optimus, who deftly caught the gun and allowed the shield to latch onto his back. Optimus, meanwhile, shifted into the familiar form of his Super Mode's upper body. Overload shifted as well, Rollout disconnecting and allowing the large weapons frame to latch up to Optimus's Super Mode back. Jetfire, meanwhile, transformed into a lower body and a pair of legs, latching up with Optimus's waist and allowing the twin cannons from Overload to sling into place. Rollout, meanwhile, shifted into his handgun mode, and landed softly in Overhaul's hands.

"Optimus Prime, Magna Jet Mode online!" Optimus called, a convenient flash of lightning in the distance heightening the drama.

"Air Defense Team, merge to form the Star Saber!" Jetstorm called, combining with his fellow Mini-Cons to once more form the legendary Core Weapon, which flew into the fully-powered Optimus's right hand and took on a magnificent blue glow.

"Race Team, merge to form Skyboom!" Mirage ordered, combining with his fellows to form the legendary shield, which found itself in Crosswise's hands.

"You think that a paltry combination can defeat me?" the entity asked. "It is nothing."

"We'll see about that," Optimus replied. "Open fire!"

Armed with their respective weapons, the three Autobots opened fire against their enemy, pinning him in the air and corralling him into optimum striking position. With their target fully zeroed in, Optimus declared, "Now!"

Crosswise and Overhaul loudly declared, "Cyber Key, LOCK!", unleashing their Key-powered abilities against their opponent and damaging it.

The first volley out of the way, Optimus fired the Overload unit's weapons, further damaging their opponent and blanketing him in a cloud of smoke.

"Fools," their enemy noted. "All they've done is blind them-!"

A sudden sharp burst caught his attention as the smoke cleared; the entity, their 'Nemesis Prime', was skewered upon the Star Saber, held by Optimus Prime. Looking upon his injury, the entity laughed, then said, "Well done. Until next we meet."

With those words, Nemesis Prime's body crumpled, shattered, and fell apart. The odd Matrix-like artifact within its chest seemed to vanish in a burst of light, leaving only the Autobots and Mini-Cons as the rain began to abate.

* * *

Starscream silently closed a cargo container aboard the _Nemesis_ and sighed. "Just as I'd thought. We're missing parts; replacements for sensor units, transport devices, uplink modules, all missing."

"They must have raided us while Megatron was recuperating from his injuries a few weeks ago," Mudflap realized. "Whatever they're up to, it's big. And I don't like it."

"Nor do I," Starscream noted. "Get the others; make certain they're aware of this. I'll contact Prime as soon as I can. With luck, we can deal with this before it gets even further out of hand."

"Luck looks like the only thing we have left to bank on," Mudflap said grimly.

* * *

"I've good news to report, Optimus," Red Alert said via comm.-line. "Blurr's making an excellent recovery. He'll be back on active duty in a few days."

"That is good news," Optimus noted as he sped along the roads back towards the _Ark, _Overload connected to his trailer with Jetfire resting atop, Crosswise and Overhaul trailing behind. "We're on our way back to headquarters now, ETA one hour."

"We'll keep the lights on for you," Red Alert promised before the line ended.

"Sounds like things are getting back to normal," Jetfire said, relief in his voice.

"I'm not so certain about that," Optimus noted. "We've all but confirmed that thing has a connection to Sideways. Something tells me this isn't the last we've seen of him."

"Yeah, but this is the last we've seen of him for today," Jetfire pointed out. "I say we relax for a little while. Until the next crisis, anyway."

Despite himself, Optimus chuckled. "I think I can arrange that."

* * *

Elsewhere, a form came into existence as another watched.

"You toyed with them a bit too much," a voice noted.

Nemesis Prime flexed his fingers, then said, "I did no better than you, Sideways. At least I've managed to damage one of them. He'll be repaired, no question, but for the time being, the Autobots will be collecting themselves. And our friend will continue to keep watch. Then the real hunt shall begin."

The End


End file.
